


take me out tonight

by fluorescent_adolescent13



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, did i mention i'm procrastinating my essays, sprinkle some nerves for good measure, they go on a real date for the first time, they're young and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:03:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23887117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluorescent_adolescent13/pseuds/fluorescent_adolescent13
Summary: “Do you maybe want to go see a movie this weekend?”Alyssa's hand started moving, combing through blonde curls as she thought over her girlfriend's words. They'd never gone out to the movies. With each other. They'd never fought over who got to buy the tickets or what candy they should buy. Their hands had never bumped into each other on their way to the popcorn. They'd never snuck a kiss in the back row.“I...um,” Alyssa started.It sounded so perfectly normal.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 73





	take me out tonight

Alyssa had never been great at letting people know how she felt. 

It wasn’t that she got her words muddled, or didn’t know what to say. The award winning high school debate team that she led was enough to prove that point. It was just that she was used to keeping things hidden. It had taken years of practice for her to get it right - the nagging fear instilled by her mother in the back of her head that told her it was always better to say nothing than to speak out. There were a million and one silent meals at the dinner table, difficult conversations danced around in favour of the same back and forth about school. Nothing else was really important. 

And the one thing that she’d wanted to tell her mom more than anything else in the entire world...well, that was one thing that she’d definitely learned to keep tucked down. Deep down.

Emma changed everything. She took all of her fears and anxieties away from her in one sweeping motion. It wasn’t like she wasn’t happy about it though. Alyssa was thrilled. Emma had taught her how to let go. How to find her voice again. She was never worried about saying too much or too little with the blonde. Their conversations didn’t have to be filled up with mindless and repetitive back and forths. 

Emma would listen without interruption the moment that Alyssa caught flight, her thoughts taking to the sky as she rambled on about something that was important to her - the warm glow that filled the blonde’s eyes spreading over time deep into her own.

Their quietest moments could be filled gently with simple mumbled words.

_ I love you, Emma Nolan. _

There had been nothing quiet about that.

Alyssa could still hear the words loud and clear. They were still bouncing around in her head with each look that she gave Emma, with each press of their lips, with each brush of their hands. The same way that they had bounced off the walls of the gym hall - echoing unforgivingly in the air until the sound was eaten up by the tension in the room. Alyssa wouldn’t take it back for the world though. It was the loudest that Alyssa had ever let herself be. The feeling was addictive. Relief still radiated throughout her body, refusing to simmer down for even a second, and in that moment the brunette decided that she never wanted to be quiet again. At least not when it came to Emma Nolan.

It was only as the bed dipped beside her and Emma’s head turned slightly that Alyssa snapped back to reality, her eyes gazing up thoughtfully to the brunette. As much as Alyssa could have wandered around her memories all day, the sight of the blonde in the real world was far better. 

Emma put her book down carefully on her stomach, being careful to keep her page. An idea was forming in her head. “Do you maybe want to go see a movie this weekend?”

Alyssa’s hand started moving again, combing through blonde curls just as she had been before as she thought over her girlfriend’s words. They’d watched plenty of movies together before but it had never really struck her before that they hadn’t gone out to the movies. With each other. They’d never fought over who got to buy the tickets or what candy they should buy. Their hands had never bumped into each other on their way into the popcorn box. They’d never snuck a kiss in the back row.

It was such a simple idea and yet the prospect alone made butterflies erupt in Alyssa’s stomach.

“I...um,” Alyssa started. 

It sounded so perfectly normal. 

Emma’s smile dropped, a rambling excuse already making its way to the tip of her tongue. She knew that it was a big step for them too. The thought had already crossed her mind more than once. Sure, the inclusive prom had been and gone only a few days ago and there was no more hiding that either of them could possibly do because of it. It didn’t make things magically easy though. Emma felt like an idiot for being naive enough to think so. 

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she said quickly. “It was just an idea. Baby steps, y’know?”

“Like a real date?” Alyssa asked quietly, a smile creeping onto the corner of her mouth.

Emma smiled back, relief washing over her quickly as the brunette’s grin only grew. They had been on real dates before, though they had just been considerably more private, but she knew exactly what the other girl meant. 

“Like a real date,” the blonde nodded. 

“I would love to go to the movies with you.”

“You would?”

“I would,” Alyssa nodded back, the sight of Emma’s eyes lighting up making her heart swell in her chest.

Emma pushed herself up with one arm, her book thumping onto the mattress. They were both worried about the same things though. Emma bit the inside of her lip, trying to find the right words to say. Maybe it wasn’t actually as good an idea as it sounded. Maybe it was too soon to expect any real change in Edgewater. It was a small town. Just because a lot of people had been open and welcoming about their prom didn’t mean that everybody was. There was still a whole world of hateful people waiting for them outside of their bubble.

“We don’t have to go when it’s busy or anything,” she started. “I mean, it’s cool if you’d rather go when there aren’t a lot of people there. There’s probably some early screenings that we could check out instead.”

Alyssa shook her head instantly, catching onto what Emma was trying to say. “No. We should go whenever we want to go.”

They shouldn’t have to hide anymore. Alyssa already felt terrible enough that she’d made Emma do it for so long. She wasn’t sure that guilt was ever going to fade entirely. Alyssa just wasn’t used to being out yet either, or people knowing who she really was - including the strangers in a twenty mile radius that had all seen pictures of the ‘gay highschooler and her girlfriend’ in Edgewater on Facebook or the local newspapers. The shock of the past few weeks hadn’t quite settled in yet. She still had to remind herself on a daily basis that there was no guard to put up, no facade that she had to keep up. 

It was like a weight had been lifted from Alyssa’s shoulders.

“Okay,” Emma replied, her lips falling into their usual lopsided grin. She settled back down into Alyssa’s lap again, sighing contentedly as her girlfriend’s fingers found their way back into her hair. “I’ll check out the listings later and we can pick something.”

“Shh,” Alyssa teased, swatting the blonde gently with her free hand. She opened up the textbook that she was supposed to be looking at - long forgotten in the midst of their conversation and her daydreaming. “I’m trying to study here.”

* * *

Just breathe. 

Alyssa had to remind herself of that more than once as she slipped out of Emma’s truck. It was a tip that she’d picked up from the blonde when her nerves started to spill over. Usually it worked. Emma was already waiting for her patiently on the sidewalk by the time that the soles of her sneakers hit the ground, a reassuring smile long settled on her face already. It wasn’t that Emma wasn’t a little nervous too but she wasn’t worried about any looks or stares that they might get. She was used to them by now.

They didn’t hold hands as they walked through the front door. 

Emma held it open for her politely, falling into step with her once they were inside and nudging her softly with her shoulder. Their arms brushed against each other with each step that they took towards the counter. A gentle reminder that they were both there, beside each other, with each other.

They were in it together.

Alyssa just had to remind herself to breathe every now and again too.

Emma stepped up to the counter ahead of the brunette, leaning forward slightly as her eyes scanned across the candy selection that they had. Alyssa tried to focus on the blonde instead of letting her gaze wander around the lobby, searching for...well, she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. There was nothing for them to worry about.

“Can I have two tickets for the showing at seven o’clock, please?” Emma asked politely. “And a large popcorn.”

“Salted or sweet.”

Their voices chimed back at the attendant in perfect unison. “Sweet.”

Alyssa let out a half-sigh, half-laugh - her nerves in her stomach settling slightly at the sound of Emma’s chuckle, though refusing to disappear completely. She knew that she was wasting far too much time focusing on everything else except for what was right in front of her. Emma was more important than anything else. 

“Hey,” she said suddenly as her eyes fell down to the blonde’s hip, watching as Emma reached into her pocket and handed over a note. “You don’t have to- we can split it.”

Emma shook her head profusely. “No way.”

“But-”

“Alyssa Greene, do you know how long I’ve been waiting to take you out on a date?” Emma teased. She took the tickets from the girl behind the desk and handed one to her girlfriend. “If you think for a second that I’m not paying for this one...I mean, if you  _ really  _ want I’ll let you pay next time, but only after a very long drawn out fight about it.”

A small smile tugged at her lips, any semblance of a witty comeback on the tip of her tongue melting away. 

“Thank you,” Alyssa said earnestly.

Emma bumped their shoulders together again as they turned in the direction of the screen, plopping a piece of popcorn in her mouth. She turned to look at Alyssa with an equally serious expression, though a glint in her hazel eyes shone through. “Anytime.”

There weren’t too many other people in the theatre when they took their seats, settling for an empty row near the back that was private enough. Alyssa had to stop herself from making a joke about it as Emma led her to the back of the theatre. This was how a handful of her friends’ dates had started - and she’d promptly tuned out of listening to the details soon after the stories started. 

“You okay?” Emma whispered, slipping her phone out of her pocket and switching it off. 

Alyssa shifted in her seat, shimming her jacket off before settling back down again and trying to get comfortable. 

“Yeah,” the brunette assured her with a smile. “More than okay.”

Alyssa’s head stayed tilted to the side for a few moments longer, resting on the back of her seat. She couldn’t help but watch as the blonde reached into the popcorn box again - rustling round before plopping a few pieces into her mouth. It wasn’t like there was anything good on the screen other than a few generic trailers anyway. 

She had to stifle a giggle as Emma missed her mouth, the blonde catching her staring. Emma’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “What?”

“Nothing,” Alyssa shook her head. She reached across, pulling the popcorn free from her curls and tossing it into her own mouth. “Your aim sucks though.”

The brunette reached across to smooth out the patch of blonde that had become dishevelled but Emma’s hand gripped her wrist before she could come any closer, pulling Alyssa towards her until their lips connected in a soft kiss. Alyssa’s hand found its way to Emma’s jaw, her fingers brushing lightly against the skin there until she pulled back. Emma let out a small sigh, resting her forehead against the brunette’s and flashing her a smile. 

“I’d say my aim is pretty good.”

“Shut up,” Alyssa grinned, rolling her eyes as she fell back into her seat again. 

Alyssa’s hand drifted down from its place on Emma’s shirt, the back of her knuckles skimming over the fabric until she reached Emma’s own hand. Their fingers laced together tightly. Emma twisted to the side slightly, moving her free hand over until it met the bare skin of Alyssa’s arm. Her fingers started to trace soothing lines back and forth. 

“I think I will have some of that popcorn,” Alyssa said suddenly, reaching into the box that was still between them. “It tasted pretty good.”

* * *

“Are you hungry?”

“Emma Nolan, if you think for even a second that you’re paying for dinner and a movie you’re-”

The blonde feigned an offended look as she turned to Alyssa. “Do you think I’m made of money or something?”

Alyssa let out a laugh. “How about a milkshake?”

“I think I could stretch to that,” Emma smiled.

The cool air was refreshing after the stifling heat that had begun to grow in the theatre. Maybe it hadn’t helped that they spent most of the movie so close to each other, but it was definitely worth it. Emma’s hand hadn’t left Alyssa’s the entire time and even now they found themselves with a new found bravery that had then latching onto one another, even out on the sidewalk. The nerves that had plagued them before had dispelled completely.

There was a diner open around the corner from them. Alyssa had been there a few times with the cheer squad after football games - most of the time wedged between Kaylee or Shelby and whatever boy on the team that wanted to try their luck with her. She figured that after a while they would take the hint, but none of them ever seemed to catch on. It felt like a lifetime ago now though. Emma loosened her grip on the brunette’s hand as she reached forward to push the door open, ushering her in ahead of her with a small smile. She pressed her other hand lightly against the small of Alyssa’s back as they walked. It was a subtle gesture but it made the brunette’s heart leap a thousand miles into the air - only falling back down again as they slid into a booth in the corner of the room. 

Emma leaned an elbow on the table as Alyssa pulled over a menu, looking over at it instead of grabbing her own. Her free hand found its way to Alyssa’s leg, settling on top of her knee without thought as the brunette flicked from page to page - eventually reaching the drinks section.

“You girls about ready to order?” a waitress said after a few minutes.

Emma’s head shot up, a polite smile finding its way onto her lips. “Yeah, I think so. ‘Lyssa?”

“Can I have the chocolate coffee shake please?”

“And I’ll just do regular chocolate, please,” Emma said.

“Oh,” Alyssa added suddenly. “And a side of fries too, please.”

The waitress nodded, barely looking up as she scribbled their order down onto her pad, and sulked away again - coming back not too long after with two glasses in hand.

“My mom would kill me if she saw me drinking this,” Alyssa said as she pulled her milkshake towards her, not hesitating for a second longer to pull the straw into her mouth. “But it’s so, so worth it.”

Emma hummed in agreement as she took a sip, opting to go straight for the rim of the glass instead of using the straw. She emerged breathlessly a second later with a large smudge of cream above her lip. “I think this is the best thing I’ve ever drank.”

“Here,” Alyssa laughed, reaching over to wipe the mess away from the corner of her mouth. 

Her hand lingered on Emma’s cheek for a moment longer, only drifting away again when she heard a bowl being placed down on their table. It only took one look from the older woman standing in front of them for Emma’s facade of bravery to come crumbling down. She’d been holding onto it desperately all night. The waitress’ eyes shifted downwards, settling on Alyssa’s leg where Emma’s hand was still resting, and then back up again, slowly pulling together details that she’d missed on her previous trips to the table. Emma could practically see the gears in her head shift. The pointed look that she’d given them made her feel sick, not even trying to hide her contempt for the pair.

The school had accepted them, and they’d accepted that Edgewater was a bigger place than just the halls of James Madison. 

Emma just hadn’t realised how awful it made her feel to know that Alyssa would have to go through the same things as she had. They’d spoken about it a few times. It was part of the whole reason that Alyssa hadn’t rushed to come out of the closet. Emma just figured that they would take it all in their stride. 

It was easier said than done.

She pulled her hand back sharply and her eyes darted down, a nausea settling in her stomach as the waitress walked away again. Alyssa hadn’t noticed a thing - far too concerned with the order of fries in front of her to notice anything else.

“You okay?” Alyssa frowned, noticing the silence that had fallen over them suddenly as she squirted a dollop of ketchup onto the side of the bowl. “Not hungry?”

Emma cleared her throat, mustering a smile for the brunette. “Too much sugar I think. Do you, um, do you mind if we get out of here?”

Alyssa nodded immediately, confused but understanding. She grabbed a napkin to wipe the salt from her hands. “Yeah, of course. Is everything okay?”

The brunette reached into her bag, trying not to read too much into the way that Emma seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her or the fact that she hadn’t answered the question. She pulled out enough to cover the check before sliding across the seat and out of the booth, their food long forgotten about. Emma followed closely behind her. She didn’t say anything until they were back out on the street again.

“Sorry,” Emma sighed. She took a few deep breaths before turning towards her girlfriend. “I’m just not feeling that great.”

Alyssa knew straight off the bat that it wasn’t the truth. She could tell just by the look on the blonde’s face that she was holding something back. It didn’t mean that she could figure out what it was though. She’d missed something along the way. “Do you want to go home?”

Emma nodded. She couldn’t shake the thought of the waitress. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Oh,” Alyssa said suddenly, stopping dead on the sidewalk. The change in Emma’s demeanour had caught her completely off guard. Maybe the blonde was just feeling sick, like she’d said. It was probably nothing. A thought spun into Alyssa's head without permission, forcing her heart to sink down into her stomach. Her voice grew quiet. “D-did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Emma replied sharply. “No, it’s not you. It’s me.”

Alyssa let out a nervous laugh at the statement, the words not doing anything to quell the anxiety that was growing inside her chest. The sky had turned dark in the time that they’d been inside, street lamps flickering on brightly in the place of the sun. They only illuminated the tears that were threatening to fall from Emma’s eyes. 

“Don’t tell me that you’re pulling out that breakup speech after our first real date.” Emma let out a breath, letting her head fall into her hands. Alyssa reached forward and took them in her own, forcing the blonde’s gaze up again. “ _ Don’t  _ tell me that’s what you mean.”

She shook her head. “I feel so stupid.”

“You’re kind of freaking me out, Emma.”

“I thought that the hard part was over. Everything that happened at school and with your mom...,” Emma started, inhaling deeply. “That was supposed to be the hard part. And I expected this to happen, I mean I’ve had to deal with it enough, but the night was going so well and everything was just perfect, so I thought maybe we were just lucky.”

Alyssa’s forehead creased as she struggled to make sense of the blonde’s train of thought. “I’m not following...”

“The waitress gave us a look.”

“She gave us a look?”

“She saw how close we were,” Emma said, hoping that the brunette would fill in the blanks. “She was disgusted.”

A silence fell over them as Emma’s response sat heavy in the air between them.

Alyssa lowered her hand, still holding Emma’s, until they were both by her side. She led the blonde back in the direction of the movie theatre until Emma’s car was in sight again, ignoring the look that the blonde was giving her. She opened her mouth to speak after a few moments. “I wish you would have told me that before I gave her a tip.”

“‘Lys,” Emma’s eyebrows furrowed into a frown, not appreciating the joke. “I know that it wasn’t...well, it wasn’t really anything. It didn’t make me feel bad but the thought of you seeing it, and how it would make you feel...”

“Em-”

“It’s easy to get used to,” Emma continued on. “But it’s still new for you and the thought of you having to get used to it too makes my heart ache.”

Alyssa nodded. “I kind of forget that there’s a whole world out there sometimes. People aren’t always going to be kind.”

Emma nodded back, squeezing the brunette’s hand as they started to walk closer to the car. “I know. You’re right.”

“I don’t want to be right,” Alyssa grumbled.

Emma had to suppress a small laugh at her girlfriend’s words. It wasn’t often that she would admit that. Emma considered asking for the statement in writing but she figured it wasn’t quite the right moment. “It sucks. I’m sorry that I overreacted.”

Alyssa shook her head. “We don’t have to stay anywhere if you’re uncomfortable but you have to remember that we have every right to be there too. We don’t have to leave for anyone. I’m grateful that you made sure I didn’t see it. It probably would have made me feel pretty shitty.”

“It made me feel pretty shitty,” Emma mumbled.

“But we just have to face it head on,” Alyssa continued. “Besides, I always have you fighting in my corner, right? So there’s nothing to worry about.”

Emma let out a sigh. “I ruined our date.”

Alyssa waved her free hand haphazardly. “It was starting to get a bit stuffy in there anyway and I heard that the staff are pretty rude.” She gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing the blonde’s hand just as she had done a few minutes earlier. “The fries were pretty good though. There’s gonna have to be a hundred more dates to make up for those.”

“Only a hundred?” Emma said, the smile returning to her face. 

“Depends who’s paying,” Alyssa grinned.

  
  



End file.
